How Barry Bonds Missed out on His Chance for Revenge

I doubt that this has even crossed the mind of Barry Bonds, who was snubbed in his first attempt at reaching MLB's Hall of Fame on Wednesday. But if it has, he must be kicking himself for shooting himself full of steroids and not just because he did not earn enshrinement.

He missed his shot at revenge. And the story is just so ironic.

For the very reason that Bonds took steroids is allegedly because of his jealousy over the attention that fellow juicers Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa were garnering during the historic home run chase of 1998.

Yet if Bonds had never allowed his head to balloon to the size of a watermelon, he could be standing at the Hall of Fame induction ceremony, garnering the very attention he was seeking, while McGwire and Sosa stand by forlorn.

Because make no mistake about one thing—McGwire and Sosa will never make it to the Hall. Bonds, on the other hand, may eventually be voted in, once the writers have passed their required period of obstinacy.

But if Bonds had never allowed his massive ego to lead him to poke his body full of holes, he still would have had a career worthy of enshrinement among baseball's best.

Then, he could have sat there satisfied, while the other two guys looked on, knowing that—in the end—he had the last laugh.

That, my friends, is the best kind of vengeance.

Ah, but no such luck because the joke's on him. It's too late now, that ship has sailed. And yet if you look at the body of work that Bonds created before he started doing PEDs it is easy to see how great he truly was.

He had home run power. Sure, not the kind of power that he would display later in his career, but he hit a lot of homers even before he got pumped up.

And he was fast. He could steal bases. In fact, until he got massive in 1998, he was averaging about 35 stolen bases per season.

Plus, the man could flat out play the outfield as well as almost anyone ever and much better than most. He also regularly got on base better than 40 percent of the time.

In short, he was a great player. But that simply wasn't enough for him.

On the one hand, it's that competitive desire that makes professional athletes so good. And the Hall is littered with players who cheated in one form or another, whether it be spitballs, amphetamines or who knows what.

And Fergie Jenkins, a Hall of Famer himself, claims he has heard whispers that there are already former steroid users enshrined.

That said, there are the holier-than-thou writers who simply refuse to put known and even suspected steroid cheats into the Hall. And it's their vote, so they are free to make a mockery of it if they so choose.

Meanwhile, there is Mr. Bonds, sulking in a corner, wishing he could go back in time and change his course of action. But there is no "undo" button, no reboots in life. Barry, and ye reap what ye sow.